Shadow of You
by DangerousAlibi
Summary: Looking for someone to love... yet there was always you. Why I didn't see it before, I don't know. Blinded momentarily by all the sorrow... but now it is all gone. Pairings will be made as the story develops. Suggestions for pairings are appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

The person came back. _Again._

Zuko narrowed his eyes as he eyed the figure that entered his uncle's tea shop. At the person's constant return, at first Zuko had suspected him of being a spy for the fire nation, but his uncle had told him there was nothing to worry about; it was just a person who liked to enjoy his afternoons with his "lady friends."

So now Zuko no longer thought of him as a spy.

He thought of the person as a womanizer.

Day after day, the person returned, _each_ time with a different girl.

Zuko had a feeling that even if he didn't know the fact that that person was a womanizer, he wouldn't like the person anyway. The person had sort of feminine features, with shoulder-length hair pulled back in a half pony-tail. Not to mention those seemingly-innocent black eyes that stared adoringly into his constantly changing "lady-friends."

"He's back again!" Zuko exploded as he entered the kitchen. Uncle Iroh looked up from his steaming mug of tea and peered through the curtains at the man.

"He must really like my tea," His Uncle said cheerfully. "Look at how he brings all his lady-friends to introduce my tea to them."

"Are you stupid? Who would look at that and call those girls his _lady-friends_?"

"Why are you so bothered, Zuko? It is none of our business…"

"It _wasn't._ But it _became_ my problem from the moment he walked into the tea shop with Jin!"

"Relax, nephew. I thought you weren't really serious with her." Iroh took a deep sip from his mug.

"You're right. But still. It bugs me." _Especially because she showed up in the tea shop with him just a day after I told her I didn't feel the same way about her._

"There is work to do! Now please, forget about the man and get to work, Zuko. Look at all the customers!" Iroh patted his big hand on Zuko's back and pushed him through the curtains. Zuko sighed and carried steaming mugs of tea to serve the customers.

Every now and then, Zuko shot the man a venomous look, but he didn't seem to notice it.

* * *

_Remember Zuko, I need five jars of grounded Jasmine, Earl Grey, and if they have any, please get some Oolong Tea. Oh yes, and Ginseng Green Tea would be good too. _

Zuko sighed and walked towards the herbs store. He fingered the money in his pocket and whispered the types of tea his uncle asked him to buy again. The last time he went on an errand for his uncle, he had forgotten one- _one_- jar of Keemun Encore Tea, and his uncle was unreasonably disappointed in him.

"Lee?" Zuko stopped in his tracks and froze. He recognized this voice.

"Hi, Jin…" Zuko said, and his face flushed. He couldn't possibly look at the girl in the eye after the way he hurt her feelings.

"How have you been?" Jin's voice sounded cheerful, so Zuko dared a peek at her. She was, actually, looking better than Zuko had ever seen her. "And how's your uncle doing? I forget his name…"

"Mu Shi. And he's been fine. I've been fine too." Jin's hair was in the same ponytail she had when they had their first date. She was still wearing her plain green robe, but now Zuko noticed that it matched the color of her eyes. Why hadn't he noticed it before?

"Uh… how have _you _been?" Zuko felt the need to ask. From the way the Womanizer (that's what Zuko called him in his head now) was changing his female companions, he was sure he wasn't the only one who broke Jin's heart.

"Good. I've been great, actually." Zuko didn't want to believe it, but Jin's face was positively beaming. "I got a job at the pottery store. I help customers choose vases and such."

"And… how's your new boyfriend?" Zuko dared to ask. Either the Womanizer broke up from her after their first date, or Jin was being cheated on. And if it was the latter, Zuko was going to let her know about it.

An eyebrow rose. "Boyfriend? No… I don't have a boyfriend." The light faded a bit from Jin's eyes. "I haven't really been seeing anyone after… you know." Jin looked away from him, for the first time Zuko saw a hint of sadness in her face. Zuko felt the heat crawl up from his collars.

"But… there was that one person. You know. After you and I… you know. You came into the tea shop with him…" Now Zuko could see the Jin's face turn red too.

"Oh, _him._ He's not really anyone. Just a friend, you know. He helped me get my mind off of things you know, and I've been feeling so down… I mean, _not_ that I was too bothered by what happened between us and all, but um, we just went out for tea and just took a stroll around town, and after that we went to the fountain…" Jin's face was getting redder by the second. Zuko realized why; she was basically describing the first date Zuko and she had together. "…Anyway nothing special. Just a friend. It definitely helped me get my moods up…" Jin slowly backed away, her eyebrows here scrunched together and she definitely looked like she was about to cry. "Um… see you around!" Jin turned on the spot and ran away.

Zuko stared after her, not knowing what to do.

Then he realized how much time had passed and sprinted towards the herbs store, remembering the look of his uncle's face the last time he was tardy.

* * *

"Your friend is back!" Iroh cheerfully announced as he pushed through the curtains towards where Zuko was grinding up the herbs. Zuko looked up warily. "But this time, no lady friends."

Zuko sighed. "I don't care about that anymore… I have better stuff to worry about."

"Well, I'm glad. But he is a customer and he must be served tea! Go tend to him, nephew." Iroh started humming and checked on the steaming pots of tea. Zuko sighed again and rose from his seat.

Just like his uncle had said, the Womanizer had no girls with him. "How may I help you?" Zuko asked mechanically as he positioned his pen against the pad to write.

"One Jasmine tea, please… and could I speak to the tea expert of this place?" The Womanizer raised his black eyes and into Zuko's golden ones. Zuko noted that he looked much fatigued from other times.

"I'll… go bring him now." Zuko said, and walked in the kitchen. "Uncle! The person wants to talk to you." Iroh looked up, surprised. Then, after checking to see if he looked messy, he pushed through the curtains and left. Zuko resisted the temptation to peek through, and resumed the grinding of the herbs.

Iroh was talking with the Womanizer for a very long time, and soon it was time to close the shop. Even after other customers and their employees had left, his uncle was in a very deep conversation with the Womanizer.

It was after Zuko had finished cleaning up and sweeping when he saw that both his uncle and the Womanizer rising from their seats. Iroh handed a small package to the Womanizer, and after he gave a respectful bow to his uncle, he finally left.

"What did he want?" Zuko asked immediately after the Womanizer was out of sight.

"He just wanted some good herbal tea that would make his sick mother feel better." Iroh replied gravely. "She doesn't seem to be doing well."

"That Womanizer has a mother?" Zuko asked incredulously.

"His name is Kozue… and Zuko, you must know that everyone has a mother." Iroh looked sideways at him. "And…" He cleared his throat. "I have hired him to work for us starting from tomorrow."

Zuko blinked.

"Huh?" _Surely_ he must've heard that wrong.

When it was apparent that he, in fact, did _not_ hear wrong, he exploded into one of his rages. "Why?!" He asked angrily.

"He is facing hardship at the moment… And he cannot resume the job he has now. He told me that he was recommended this job by a friend of his."

"Jin." Zuko snarled under his breath. "And exactly _why_ can't he continue his job?" Zuko spat.

Iroh's face hardened. "That is no business of yours, nor mine."

"But you know, don't you?" Zuko stared hard into his uncle's eyes.

Iroh sighed. "Yes. Yes, I do."

"Then why can't you-"

"You will learn soon enough, I expect, if you make friends with the boy." Iroh looked sympathetically at the direction Kozue walked off into. "And do, please try to be kindly with the boy. He has had too much corruption in his life for his age." Iroh's gaze returned to Zuko. "Like you."

Zuko looked away.

* * *

"Nice to meet you, my name is Kozue." Zuko stared at the hand presented before him, and hesitated a moment before reaching out to shake it. Kozue was shorter than him; the top of his head just reached Zuko's nose. Kozue's skin was light brown, with black eyes and black hair. After giving the boy another look, Zuko finally concluded that he could not understand why there were so many Earth Nation girls who were crazy about him.

From his short relationship with Jin, Zuko learned a bit about what girls normally thought of their "ideal boyfriend type." After listening to much of Jin's rant about her friends and their boyfriends, much girls (at least in Earth nations anyway) had a sort of general agreement in what a boy should look like to be attractive.

First of all, their eyes. Light colored eyes were the "in" in Earth nation cities, ranging from light blue, green, to yellow. ("That's why I instantly fell in love you with you," Jin had giggled to a blushing Zuko.) And paler their skin was the better. ("Because you know, if you have pale skin it sometimes gives a girl illusions that you're of noble blood, and you stay inside while others toil outside in the hot sun." Jin smiled at Zuko's pale face while he squirmed uncomfortably inside.)

To a girl from Earth Nation, it was not likely that a boy who shared common features with Kozue would attract much attention.

But Kozue did. How, Zuko didn't know.

But as he looked around the tea shop, he had to admit that Kozue's employment at his uncle's tea shop was definitely beneficial to their sales. The number of girls had increased.

Zuko turned to see his uncle smiling in an I-told-you-so way, and looked away in disgust.

* * *

"You're skin is so beautiful, Yu-Fan… And your hair is such a beautiful color of brown." Zuko pretended to puke over his bowl of ground herbs as he heard Kozue's praise of a female customer through the curtains.

The tea shop was _filled_ with women now. There were even specific requests for Kozue to serve them, the other waiters and waitresses could sit around leisurely and watch Kozue hurry from table to table, delivering tea, getting orders, and… most importantly, charm the ladies.

"I must admit," One of the waitresses said while sipping tea, "After Old man Mu Shi hired Kozue, it's gotten easier to work in here." She sighed and continued her longing gaze at Kozue.

Zuko ignored the girls and turned toward the hired boys. They didn't dare say anything in front of Zuko's stony face, but he could tell they thought the same. At least, they were thankful that Kozue was doing all the work for them.

"Don't lie about there; go find something to do!" Zuko barked at them. The hired work threw a sullen look at him and slowly rose to find the easiest work possible.

_He's throwing the peaceful little cycle our tea shop had._ Zuko thought, disgruntled, remembering how hard working their employees was before they had hired Kozue. He resumed grinding the herbs in the bowl with a little bit more force than necessary.

**Author's Note:**

Hello there. I'm new to writing fanfiction, but not in reading. This is my first fanfiction ever, I've always had little ideas in my head but this is the first time wrting it all down. I hope you enjoy.

Oh yeah, and some of the stuff here I just made up to make the story more interesting. Like the "ideal boyfriend" type of the girls in the Earth Nation. I actually don't know anything about that, I don't even know if they have those things out there. But don't hate me to much :P

Enjoy! XD


	2. Chapter 2

Three weeks passed since the day Kozue started working at the Jasmine Dragon, yet he had not familiarized with the employers there except for the girls who wished to continuedly engage in conversations with him.

Kozue had finished his sweeping and was getting ready to go home. He leaned the broom against the doorway, bowed to Iroh and started out. Iroh noticed how dark it was, and nudged Zuko towards the boy. "Go make acquaintances with him, nephew. He doesn't have too much male-friends, it seems." Zuko sighed but followed Kozue.

"Hey you," Zuko called and walked over to the boy. "I'll walk you home." Kozue stiffened and gave a wary chuckle.

"Umm, that's okay. I can walk fine to my own house." Kozue backed away slowly. "It's a bit far from here, so it's really inconvenient for you too." Zuko furrowed his brow.

"Far? How far can far be? It's inside Ba Sing Se, right?"

"Yyyesss…. But it's still pretty far. It's sort of the other side of the town." Zuko's eyes widened a bit. He had been to the other side of the town before when he and his uncle just arrived at Ba Sing Se. Unlike the rich, peaceful and civilized atmosphere of the wealthier part of the town, the poorer part of the town was desolate, diseased, and moreover, very _dangerous_.

Seeing Zuko's hesitation at the mention of the other side of town, Kozue gave him a cold smile, inclined his head slightly, and turned to walk away.

Zuko stared at the retreating back, and then turned to return to the tea house.

Suddenly Kozue felt a hand on his shoulder, and looking around, saw the hard face of Zuko. His eyes widened. "Wha-?"

"Didn't I tell you I'd walk you home? And now that I know you live on the other side of town, it's more of a reason to walk with you." Kozue's eyes softened, and together they walked silently.

Trying the break the awkward atmosphere, Zuko glanced sideways at the boy. "So… who do you live with?"

"My mother. She rarely comes out of home, though. The farthest she's ever gone out is her garden, I think." Kozue looked up at Zuko and smiled a bit. "So I have to work hard to support my mother and myself."

"What was your previous job?" Zuko asked cautiously, remembering how his uncle's face had turned sober when mentioning Kozue's previous occupation. A muscle in Kozue's jaw twitched. There was a moment of silence, and Zuko started thinking about asking a different question when Kozue spoke up. His voice was so small and timid, that Zuko had to strain his ears to hear.

"I…" Kozue's voice broke and he had to clear his voice. "I was…" He suddenly turned and stared up at Zuko's golden eyes. "It wasn't a very honest job. But please don't judge me by it, I only had to do it because it was the only thing that could get me a steady income." His voice was pleading, and Zuko thought he saw a film of tears covering the boy's eyes.

"I understand… How bad can a job be?" Zuko tried to sound lighthearted, but knew he wasn't doing a good job. Kozue turned his head to looks straight on again. He opened his mouth, and the timid voice was back.

"I was…" Then he whispered his secret.

Zuko stepped back, not in horror, just in realization. This explained _everything._ But now that the news sank in, Zuko realized the revulsion of his career.

They had nearly reached the poorer part of Ba Sing Se. The buildings were no longer beautifully colored, but earth colored and cracking. People were sleeping on the streets, and they could hear giggling of men flirting with prostitutes.

"But it wasn't that bad! It's not as bad as you think!" Kozue's voice rose in panic as he scrambled to explain himself.

But Zuko didn't want to hear more. He turned back and ran.

* * *

The next day, Kozue didn't come to work. Iroh glanced sideways at Zuko for an explanation, but he turned and didn't answer.

* * *

Zuko saw Kozue in a tea shop similar to the Jamine Dragon, but different. The background seemed to be obscured in some strong mist and Zuko couldn't see the rest of the customers except for Kozue and his female companions who were all sitting around him.

Kozue whispered in their ear, and they giggled and gave him fond looks and brushed kisses on his cheek. One of them tried to give him a deep kiss by securing his face with her hands, but he pulled back casually, laughing as he did so. Zuko couldn't hear him, but he saw that he mouthed "_you need to give **me** something first."_ The girl rolled her eyes, sighed, and slid a few coins towards him.

When Kozue confirmed the amount of money, he ignored the rest of the girls, and grabbed the girl who paid him and gave her a deep kiss on the spot. Zuko turned away, revulsion rising in his stomach, but found that wherever he turned, he could somehow still see what Kozue was doing.

Kozue was now proceeding even farther, by slipping off the girl's robe and leaving trails of butterfly kisses on her neck and shoulders. The girl breathed hard, and slid her hands through Kozue's hair.

Kozue stopped suddenly, and looked up directly at Zuko and smiled.

"Aah!"

Zuko bolted upright suddenly from his bed, still feeling the revulsion in his stomach.

"Dream." He snarled, and walked unsteadily towards the kitchen to drink a glass of water.

He drank slowly, replaying the dream over and over in his head.

Then he remembered the walk he and Kozue had.

"_I was..."_ He had whispered. _"I was paid by women to be their lover."_

Prostitution.

It sickened him.

* * *

"Lee, may I speak to you for a moment?" Iroh called out to him from the kitchen. Zuko shrugged and went to his uncle.

"What is it, uncle?" Iroh looked solemnly into Zuko's face.

"You found out, didn't you." It wasn't a question; it was a statement.

"About..."

"About Kozue's previous job. I can imagine what had happened during that walk. You decided to be friendly, asked a few questions, gained a bit of the boy's trust, then asked him about his previous job. When you found out, you were too revolted to listen to his explanation and ran away." His uncle's grave voice made what Zuko did sound... _wrong._

"I didn't- I wasn't-" Zuko held back his anger.

"-But you did. You may not have thought you were that way, but you did." Iroh sighed. "Your reaction is reasonable. Even I was taken aback by the news. But nephew," Iroh's gaze made Zuko feel like as if his uncle was reading his mind. "If you had listened farther, you may have agreed that it was the only thing for the boy to do."

"It was prostitution, uncle. There's no valid excuse for that."

Iroh sighed and shook his head. Zuko realized the conversation was over.

"Run on an errand for me, nephew. It's a delivery service. Here's the address. Make sure you give this to the person, it is very, very, important." Iroh motioned to the picnic basket set on the table. Zuko nodded.

Zuko felt uneasy as he grasped the handle of the picnic basket. He was starting to get out of the wealthier part of town and into the desolate areas. An apprehensive doubt formed in the back of his mind, but Zuko decided to ignore and found the location.

"You useless woman!" A sharp cry caught Zuko's attention. A shopkeeper was yelling at a person whose face could not be seen . "How dare you- You dare- to give food away to the beggars? You leave _me_ to waste my money?" Zuko stopped in his tracks to watch. The shopkeeper raised a hand to strike the woman. She flinched, anticipating the blow.

Zuko moved fast. He blocked the blow from the shopkeeper, pushed him back, and put an arm around the woman. Her dark brown hair was disheveled and flecked with silver and her face grimy. Her eyes widened at the sight of Zuko as the shopkeeper staggered back. "Here's the money for the food." Zuko spat and threw down some coins in the dirt. He led the woman away carefully, noting that she was shaking.

"Are you... okay?" Zuko released the woman after they were a considerable distance away from the shop, and looked at the woman. The woman's hair was tangled and disheveled, and was wrapped in a tattered shawl. She had dull, lifeless eyes that passed over Zuko face and refused to meet his eyes. Her skin was dirty, and rough and burnt from the sun. The woman kept looking around, as if she was confused. She didn't answer to Zuko's question.

A shadow cast over the two of them.

"Mother?" A voice asked, and Zuko turned, somehow alarmed... as if he already _knew_ the owner of the voice...

It was Kozue. He stopped as he saw Zuko, and Zuko froze too.

They stood in silence, staring at each other as if conversing telepathically.

"...hello." Kozue whispered, not daring to speak any louder.

"Hi." Zuko responded coldly. Then he looked down at the woman. "Is this your mother?" Kozue nodded. "Take her. I thought she didn't work."

"She... doesn't. Her job just started a few days ago." _When you stopped showing up to the Jasmine Dragon._ Zuko thought.

"Thank you... for helping my mother. She seemed to be in trouble." Kozue held an arm towards his mother who obediantly hooked a bony arm around it. "I'll be on my way now..."

"Wait." Zuko didn't know why he called him, but now that he did, he held out the piece of paper with the address written on it. "Do you know where this is?"

Kozue took the piece of paper and read. When he looked up, he looked tired and confused. "It's my house."

"Please, come in." Zuko stood in front of a house-if you could call that a house. It was halfway collapsed, with mud walls and a straw roof. The windows had spiderwebs and cobwebs hanging from it. "It's not much, I know."

Zuko pushed back the sympathetic feeling in his chest. "I should be going. My uncle probably wants me."

"Actually..." Kozue reached into the picnic basket and pulled out a piece of paper. "He wants you to take your time."

Zuko cursed and thought of venomous thoughts about his uncle.

* * *

At the Jasmine Dragon, Iroh sneezed twice.

One of the waitresses looked up. "Someone's thinking bad things about you, Mister Mu Shi."

Iroh rubbed his nose. "Is that so?"

She smiled. "It's a little belief... my mother used to tell it to me when I was a little kid."

Iroh smiled back. "I can't imagine anyone thinking bad things about me."

* * *

**Author's Note**:

Hi guys, I had some time over the weekend so I took this chance to write some more. Thanks, Lucrezia6565 and irezel and 86thetomato, you guys either subscribed or liked my story, please keep on loving it! really, when people compliment and say that like my story, it just makes me feel so happy and motivates me to write more. :P

I hope you like this chapter. I realize there's a little make-out scene here, but that's why it's rated M and... i think we're all old enough for that, right? I'm sure there'll be more in the future. :P

I'm still waiting for the suggestions for pairings. I can't decide, and I'm not sure I can start writing about the Aang Gang (haha that rhymes) until I'm solid sure about the couples. So gimme suggestions if you want to hear about the Aang and his friends! But I'm not asking for JUST the main couple, I'm asking like, all-around couples here. There can't possibly be just ONE couple in my story, i can't make it interesting that way. :P Even absurd suggestions like, say... Ozai and Katara's mom (me: oO but hey, who knows?) is appreciated.

thanks!


	3. Chapter 3

Zuko sat uncomfortably in front of a scraped table and looked around in wonder. The house was a one-room house, with two tattered futons folded neatly in a corner and a very plain drawer in the opposite corner.

"I'll go heat some water." Kozue said, and took a bag of tea out of the picnic table and went outside. An awkward silence passed as Kozue's mother settled herself down at the table also. She didn't look as frightened or confused as before, but she still refused to meet Zuko's eyes or even speak to him.

The smell of burning wood wafted from the open door of the house and Zuko inhaled it appreciatively. Probably because he was a firebender, but Zuko was always fond of the smell of burning wood. However, Kozue's mother groaned a bit under her breath and pressed her sleeve against her nose.

"Don't you like the smell?" Zuko asked, and the woman shook her head. He waited in doubt to see if she would reply, but she did not. "Well, I'll go shut the drapes then. Maybe it'll block out the smell of fire." But the woman again shook her head, so Zuko remained seated.

"...thank you." This comment was so small, so soft, that Zuko almost thought nobody had spoken at all. But he had heard, and he turned and stared at Kozue's mother as if he was seeing her for the first time. Zuko waited hopefully if she was going to say anymore, but she refused to open her mouth again.

Kozue returned, holding a tray of mismatching cups filled to the brim with steaming tea. "I have the tea ready." He said, and shuffled over to the table. He set the mugs down in front of them, and then pulled out a package from the picnic basket. "I think these are some snacks to go with the tea."

And so they were. Bite-sized cookies that had mint inside and were coated with sugar on the outside. Kozue set it on the table, and together they all ate and drank in silence. When they finished eating, Zuko and Kozue took their tea outside to drink.

"Um, Lee..." Zuko looked up, and saw that Kozue's hands were clasped together tightly in his lap and his head was bowed. "I know you must think badly of me." He whispered. Zuko clenched his jaws together.

"Yes." Kozue flinched as if the word had burned him. But he remained silent. "It was... sort of a prostitution. Wasn't it?" Zuko stared at his mug and rotated it in his hands, observing the shape of the tea dregs at the bottom of the mug.

Kozue nodded vigorously. "I know, I was bad. You have every right to think that I am a horrible human being-"

"But not anymore." Zuko said slowly, as if he was trying to taste the words before speaking them. His uncle had been right. In the state of poverty that Kozue was in, prostitution was probably the choice that seemed the easiest to earn money. "I understand that you were desperate for money... and that you're trying to turn your life around."

Kozue finally raised his head and look straight on. "I am."

There was a moment of silence, but not an awkward one. For Zuko, it was whether or not he made the right choice in befriending Kozue. But before he let it all go, he needed to know _one_ more thing.

"I have a question." Zuko suddenly asked, although he was embarassed to ask it.

"Yeah?"

"How many times did you make... uh, _love_ to your clients?" Zuko regretted asking this question as soon as it left his lips. What if Kozue was too embarassed to answer?

Kozue's answer was quick. "I didn't."

Zuko stared at him, not believing. Kozue gave him a wry smile. "Believe it or not, I never slept with any of the women who hired me. The farthest I've ever gotten with a client was a kiss, and that was when she caught me by surprise."

"Then what-"

"The women who hired me were mostly people who just went through break-ups, or just people who needed a person of opposite gender to be with them, like a boyfriend." Zuko immediately thought about Jin and groaned. "So the broken-hearted ones would pay me, introduce me to their ex-lover, to show that she had moved on. The lonely ones would just go on a normal date with me, like a temporary boyfriend."

"You... you never..."

"I never slept with any of my them." Kozue's answer was firm. "Believe me, some tried. Really hard too." Kozue laughed a bit, and Zuko, suddenly feeling much better, joined in.

"So... you'll be returning to the Jasmine Dragon tomorrow?" Kozue smiled.

* * *

"Mister Mu Shi, how should I serve-" Kozue stopped in his tracks. He had followed the old man to the back of the tea shop to ask him some questions on how to brew the Darjeeling tea, but it didn't matter now.

The man was crying.

Not a blubbering cry, but just a sober face with tears rolling down. When Mu Shi noticed Kozue's presence, he hastily wiped the tears and tucked something in his robe.

"Is there something wrong?" Kozue asked quietly.

"It is nothing, boy. What did you want from me?" The man's cheerful expression was back, but Kozue still felt apprehensive.

"Are you worried about a family member or a friend?" Mu Shi's body jerked, and he turned away from Kozue. Kozue heard him sigh.

"You must think that I am a fool." Mu Shi smiled sadly, "For crying like this."

"...you must have a valid reason for it." Kozue replied carefully, not wanting to hurt the old man's feelings by mistake.

He sighed again.

"All that live must die, passing through nature to eternity... yet some depart too fast... too fast indeed..." Mu Shi muttered. He turned and looked at Kozue.

"You are so young, Kozue. Just like Lee. Trust each other with your life... live on, no matter what..." And with that, the old man passed Kozue and left, leaving Kozue to contemplate what he just heard.

* * *

Kozue was serving tea to an elderly couple when he heard a gasp. He turned to see Mister Mu Shi and Lee smling at each other.

"What's going on?" He asked, walking over to join them.

"I don't believe it," Mister Mu Shi's smile was so wide, Kozue could feel like he could count his teeth if he tried.

"We've been invited to serve tea to the Earth King." Zuko said, throughly pleased with the news.

Kozue's mouth dropped, and he looked from Iroh to Zuko. "The... the Earth King? Congratulations! What a great honor!" He smiled, and Iroh clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"It is good time for all of us." He smiled.

There was much commotion and excitement going on in the tea house as Zuko and Iroh set out for the Palace. Regular customers and people who wanted to see the talented tea maker had gathered around the tea shop, trying to catch a glimpse of them. Kozue had waved and called good luck to them by the doorway, while making sure every waiters and waitresses were keeping everything in order.

Zuko and Iroh, waved, and turned to walk.

Kozue leaned on the door frame and watched them go. Everything was turning out to be okay.

* * *

"Mister Mu Shi and Lee sure are taking their time with the Earth King," Kozue said out loud as he took the broom and started sweeping the floors.

"Maybe the Earth King is rewarding them with jewels and things." One of the waiters said, cleaning up a table. "The Jasmine Dragon will become a much larger tea shop, and it'll become known worldwide!"

"I hope so," Kozue replied. Then he looked outside. "Even so, they should be getting back. It's getting dark." The employees silently cleaned up the tea shop, and left one by one, each filled with anticipation about what was going on in the palace."

Kozue, however, remained. He wanted to be the first ones to hear the good news from Lee and Mister Mu Shi.

Suddenly a hand clamped over his mouth and dragged him into the now dark tea shop. "Mmf!" Kozue let out a muffled yell of surprise, and tried to struggle. But when he heard the soft "shh," he stopped resisting.

"Mister Mu shi?" The old man was gasping and panting for air and his silver hair was a mess. "What's going on? Where's-" But the old man had signaled Kozue to be silent. He leaned in towards Kozue, his voice barely audible.

"Listen to me, boy," He breathed. "You must- _must_ get out of Ba Sing Se. It is not safe here. No, no, _listen to me!"_ He hissed as he saw that Kozue was beginning to speak. "This is going to sound crazy. But do as I tell you, and you will live. And take this." He shoved a package at Kozue, who received it and began to unwrap it. "Ba Sing Se is going to be taken over by the Fire Nation. Flee this town, Kozue. Take your mother and flee. The safest place to go right now-" The old man looked intently into Kozue's dark ones. "is to the fire nation."

Kozue blinked.

"Excuse me?" He had struggled to comprehend the part about the fire nation invading Ba Sing Se, but the last bit threw him off. "I thought the fire nation was _invading_ Ba Sing Se, so why would I-"

"That is why I gave you that." Mu Shi motioned to the object Kozue had unwrapped. It was a small wooden disc, with engravings carved on it. A red tassel hung from it. Kozue could tell this object was used very frequently (whatever it was) because the engravings were faded and scratched. "That is a sort of an identification for anyone who works inside the Fire Nation palace. You can get a job inside the palace, remain unnoticed, and no one will suspect you. It may seem risky, but it is the safest thing I can think of at the moment."

"Why do you have that-"

"No time for answers! I really must be going."

He looked wildly around them, to check that no one was spying. "I must go now. And Kozue..." Mu Shi placed both hands on the boy's shoulder and looked pleadingly at him. "Please be safe."

With that, the man was gone, leaving Kozue confused and scared.

But with the old man's advice ringing in his ears, Kozue sprinted towards his home, to leave Ba Sing Se as soon as possible.

* * *

"Follow me, mother... quickly..." Kozue muttered as he grasped the little baggage he had in his left hand and held his mother's hand in the other. A dark blanket was thrown over the old woman to protect her from the cold and keep her from being noticed.

Now that Kozue could think more clearly, he started to worry about the main dilemma that was troubling him for the longest time. How do I get out of Ba Sing Se?

One option was to get out legally with a passport and a ticket, which Kozue couldn't possibly do. He didn't even have a passport, or enough money to buy one ticket. The other option was the Serpent's Pass, which was also impossible, after hearing much terrible rumors about it.

"What to do… What to do…" He muttered to himself as he dashed through the dark familiar streets of Ba Sing Se. I'll see what to do once I get to the wall.

Once he arrived at the wall, he stared at the looming shadows and gulped. He couldn't possibly climb out; it was impossible. Now that Kozue had stopped running and was able to thinking slowly, panic flooded his heart; real terror he had never felt before.

Mu Shi had told him he was not safe in Ba Sing Se. But he had no way to get out of Ba Sing Se either.

But above all, he was most terrified of going to the fire nation.

There were rumors, whispered among the streets of gossiping women and men discussing politics. But rumors were always rumors, and Kozue had not heeded them before.

Now he racked his brain to try to remember. A war with the fire nation…. Fire nation hoping to take over…. Invasions…. Fire Lord Ozai…. His banished son…. The Avatar.

Kozue's mother wheezed, trying to catch her breath after running for a long time. Kozue turned to her and rubbed her back. "I'm sorry, mother." He whispered. "We'll be safe soon. Just bear with it until then." Kozue looked up and saw approaching figures of Earth Nation guards. "I'll be back." He told his mother.

"Er… excuse me." Kozue ventured to ask. The soldiers, Kozue noticed, were swaying slightly from side to side and muttering something under their breaths. A step closer told Kozue that they were drunk. Careful to keep his distance, Kozue asked, as politely as he could. "Do you know a way to get out of Ba Sing Se? Without using passports or the Serpent's Pass."

The drunken soldiers stopped muttering among themselves and looked at Kozue. One of them hiccupped. "Whyyyyy?" He drawled.

"Just… an errand. Out of town."

Hiccup. "What forrrrrr?"

"Delivery. Um, tea delivery." Suddenly, the soldier reached out and grabbed Kozue's shoulder and dragged him closer.

"Tea…. You say? From the" *hiccup* "Jasmine Dragon?"

"Yyyyyyes….." Kozue said slowly, trying not to breathe in the alcoholic-smell. The grip on his shirt tightened.

"Then you should come with me!" The soldier yelled, and his companion yelled an agreement. "The owners of the Jasmine Dragon" *hiccup* "Were arrested a while ago, you know?" The soldier fixed a bloodshot eye on Kozue. "What were you trying to do….. Go and get help?"

"You're- You're raving." Kozue replied, thoughts running through his head with the speed of light. Lee and Mu Shi arrested? No, the old man probably wasn't arrested; he had come back to warn Kozue. Mu Shi escaped but Lee was captured? For what? What did they do? "Let GO!" He yelled suddenly, yanking back.

The soldiers, as drunk as they were, grunted in surprise and began to chase Kozue, who ran back to his mother. "Mother, mother, we need to run." Kozue gasped. The old woman said nothing, but began to run as fast as her weak legs could carry her.

Because his mother was so slow, the soldiers were catching up to them, fast. God, if there is a God, please help me. I need to protect my mother. I promised I'd take care of her.

A heavy blow knocked Kozue to the ground. He felt dull pain throbbing on the side of his head; he tasted blood in his mouth. Blinking tears of pain from his eyes, Kozue struggled to stand up.

"Watch out!" A voice suddenly called, and Kozue heard something splash; the soldiers were washed away by some supernatural force. Eyes widened, Kozue turned to see a girl, slightly younger than him. "Are you okay?" She asked, brushing a strand of brown hair from her tanned face.

"Katara, WHY must you always try to help everyone when we are in trouble ourselves? Come on, you're a heroine, you saved the people, now LET'S GO." A boy who seemed about his age appeared from the darkness, carrying something- or someone.

A loud snort sounded, and Kozue let out a yelp as he saw a huge furry animal lumber over to them. What is that?! He thought, stumbling over his own foot and collapsing. The boy let out a laugh of amusement.

"You're not hurt, are you?" The girl asked, slinging her pack over her shoulder and walking towards the animal.

"You- what- What is that thing?"

"It's a-" The girl began to answer, but the boy let out an audible ah-hem, and she stopped talking.

"Can it… climb over the wall?" An amused smile flickered over the girl's face.

"You could say that." She answered. Her amused face suddenly turned to confusion when Kozue suddenly clasped his hands together.

"Please take my mother and me over the wall, I beg you." Kozue stared pleadingly up the girl's face. "It's really important." The girl turned slowly to the boy (who Kozue guessed was her brother). There was a moment of silence as the boy glared at the girl, but then sighed and shrugged.

"Do what you want, Katara. Be the goody-two-shoes that you are." He grumbled, and walked away.

"Come on board." The girl smiled, and began slowly walking towards the animal.

Kozue knelt beside his mother. She had fainted from when the soldiers had pushed her. Gently, he picked her up, and walked towards the animal.

"We're leaving Ba Sing Se, mother…" He whispered.

* * *

Author's Note:

Sorry for taking a while to upload this chapter... i was really busy. :P

I heard from sources that some of you are expecting this to be a boy-boy relationship... :P well, it's not. I'm planning to pair Zuko up with a girl, I just don't know who. THAT'S why i'm asking for suggestions, you guys... and so far you guys haven't been giving me much.


	4. What Kozue looks like

By the way, I requested a friend's friend to draw Kozue for me. Aaaaand she drew him! :D I like this drawing a lot, and I appreciate it too, because although I love writing I never have the skills of drawing. =/

The link to the picture is in my profile, (because for some reason, the link wouldn't post here) hope you check him out. Credits to Irezel, by the way.

THANKS A LOT IREZEL, I LOVE THE PICTURE!!!! :D


	5. Chapter 4

Kozue held his mother close to his side and wrapped the cloak tighter around her to shield her from the cold dawn air. The place they decided to rest for the night was a shady area, and even though there was a campfire, the air was still chilly. The girl- Katara, was huddled against a small figure with the hood deeply pulled down over his head. The boy, Sokka, was still and motionless against the bison's warm fur, but Kozue could tell that he was watching him. Kozue turned away to face the small girls sitting not too far away from him. Kozue couldn't remember her name; Cough or something similar to that. Judging from her clothing, she was from the Earth Nation. As if feeling his gaze, the small girl suddenly turned her head towards him and glared. She had strange eyes that seemed slightly vacant yet filled with spirit. Something about them gave Kozue the chills, like he was staring at something he shouldn't have. Hastily he focused on his right knee, and during the silence, somehow, realized that she was sightless.

There had been a man with them, before, also from the Earth Nation. He had a big grizzly bear with him that he called Bosco. From the way how the frightening bear was so tame near the man, Kozue guessed that he was from a circus, despite his richly made clothes. A joker or a jester of a nobleman of some sort, probably. Anyway, he was gone now, along with his bear. Because his splendid robes would attract attention, he had exchanged it with a farmer, who gladly took the deal. Then he left, his faithful bear lumbering at his side.

"Well, Kozue," Katara suddenly said, "We got you over the wall, but where are you planning to go from here? If it's close to where we are headed, maybe we can give you a ride there too. If not, then we'll drop you off in a safe place where you can head your way." She ignored the audible sarcastic sigh let out from Sokka.

"I'm-" Kozue began, but suddenly stopped. His throat had closed, out of fear, and refused to let out any of his voice. He felt like as if he couldn't breathe.

"Yes?" Katara prompted in a motherly voice.

Kozue, suddenly hearing such a soothing voice, for the first time since his escape from Ba Sing Se, relaxed. He almost wanted to cry, but held back. "I'm going to the Fire Nation."

The blind girl looked up sharply, Sokka suddenly jumped up, but Katara gave him a warning sidelong glance. "Why?" She continued to ask, in the same calm voice. This time, Kozue hesitated before answering. Why? Why was he going to the Fire Nation? Even he did not know the answer.

"I… work there." He finally answered.

Suddenly, the ground around him shook, and in even before Kozue could shout, he found himself encased in a column of hard soil. "What is this?!" Kozue yelped, trying to shake free. His mother, who fell away from Kozue's arms, struggled to sit upright.

"You work for the Fire Nation?" Sokka's voice was low and threatening. "Look what you did, Katara. You just HAD to be a kind and nice girl, and look who you brought in!"

He jabbed a finger at Kozue's direction. Then he glanced at Kozue's mother. "We better bind her too. She might run away." Panic flooded Kozue's chest.

"STOP!" He screamed, and struggled more violently to free himself. "Don't- please- That's just my mother, she's not in her right mind, half the time she doesn't even know who she really is…" Kozue's head dropped, and his chin hit his earthly bindings.

"Fine," Sokka said, in a trembling voice, as if to keep his voice from rising also, "we leave the old lady alone. But what do we do with you?" He growled.

"Honestly? Just leave me. I'm not a spy, I don't even know who you are, and why you are so keen on avoiding the Fire Nation's attention. I'm just going to the Fire Nation for safety."

"He's not lying." The blind girl said, lightly brushing her feet on the ground. "Just panicked."

Silence fell, while the people all stared at each other. "Toph, release him except for his arms; keep them bound behind him." Suddenly, the earth that seemed rock-solid all fell away, except for his arms. Kozue collapsed to his knees.

"What are you planning to do with him?" Katara asked quietly, not meeting Kozue's eyes.

"We'll take him to Dad. He'll know what to do."

* * *

"Sorry about Sokka." Toph (not Cough) muttered to Kozue as they flew on the flying bison. "He's not usually like this." Kozue looked at the girl, surprised.

"You trust me?"

"You weren't lying. You _are_ hiding something, though. Aren't you?"

"What are you, a mind-reader?"

"No. Just a keen listener." She answered wryly. "Sokka is usually really funny, and makes jokes all the time." She said suddenly.

"Could've fooled me," Kozue muttered.

"Times have changed." Toph replied. "You probably noticed, but our friend there-" She motioned to the hooded figure with her chin. "isn't really in the best shape."

"….oh."

"Sokka's dad is a reasonable man, from what I've heard." Toph said, after a while. "He'll hear you out."

"I hope so."

* * *

When the bison came in for the landing, it was by a large mass of water. Having never been outside of the Ba Sing Se walls before, Kozue was amazed by so much water. Sokka jumped down from the bison, and, with an expression of pure joy Kozue had not seen on his face before during the travel, ran towards the row of tents stationed on the sandy shore.

A man came out, and shared a deep hug with Sokka, and spread his arms out towards Katara also, who came running after Sokka. Toph came up next to Kozue.

"Well, he seems nice enough." She said, then walked over to them. "You coming?" She called over her shoulder.

"Yeah…" He sighed and then walked over, feeling strangely insecure on the soft sand that gave away so easily to his weight.

The man whispered some words to Sokka, who whispered back while looking at Kozue with a suspicious glare. Then the man finally walked over to Kozue.

"Hello," He said pleasantly. "My name is Hakoda, Sokka and Katara's father."

"Hello." Kozue muttered, not meeting his eyes. There was a slight moment of silence as Hakoda looked at him.

"Why don't we go into the tent and have a talk?" He asked, pulling back the flaps. "No, Sokka, please stay outside." Hakoda said, as Sokka made a couple of steps towards the entrance. Sokka gave a sigh, but went back to the bison.

Once inside the tent, Kozue cautiously sat down on the chair in front of the desk piled with all sorts of maps. "My son has told me that you wish to go to the Fire Nation." Hakoda said. "To work there, he told me."

"Yes." Kozue said, and finally looked up. "But I have my own reasons. I wouldn't spy on people when I am so desperate to survive myself."

Again there was silence, as Hakoda just simply looked at Kozue. "I believe you," He finally said after a while. "But you see, it is not so easy to let a person who works for the Fire Nation go. After all, we are… under sorts of preparations."

"I escaped from Ba Sing Se because someone told me to leave. He told me to go to the Fire Nation because to him, it seemed the safest."

"I hardly see how that logic works."

"Neither do I, but I trust him."

"I don't presume you are going to tell me who this man is?"

"No, I'm not." Kozue replied, suddenly feeling braver than before. "But I will say this," He said. "He was on the run from the Fire Nation too."

"…I see." Hakoda replied. "Well, you may go now, Kozue. I will now discuss with my men what to do." With that, Kozue stood and left the tent.

"How did it go?" Toph asked as Kozue came up to the bison to take his mother down.

"I don't know." Kozue said, "I guess we'll have to see."

A little while later, Hakoda came out with another man. He also shared happy greetings with Sokka and Katara. Then they walked up to Kozue.

"Kozue, this is Bato, my very close friend." Kozue inclined his head slightly for his greeting. "Kozue, Bato and I came to the opinion that we could trust you." Hakoda gave Kozue a very serious looks while Sokka stared at his father in disbelief. "Toph, please, unbind him."

"Gladly," Toph said wryly, and the earth fell away from Kozue's arms. He flexed it a couple of times to get the feelings back in his arms.

"Thanks," He said. Kozue noticed how Sokka turned away from him, resentfully.

* * *

"So, what are you planning to do now?" Katara asked two days later, as they crowded around one of the campfires. After Hakoda had set Kozue free, she had somewhat softened up to Kozue, but still cautious.

"I'm still planning to go to the Fire Nation." Katara stiffened, but her face remained passive. "I'm just trying to find a method of transportation at the moment."

"Better find it soon, or we're just going to leave you here," Sokka commented, with a little contempt in his voice, jabbing a stick at the fire. He, like Katara, had changed his views about Kozue as well, just not as much as his sister did.

"What are _you_ planning to do?" Kozue asked, taking his shoes off and digging his feet in the soft sand. Katara and Sokka exchanged glances.

"We don't know yet," Sokka finally answered. "Dad is still figuring a strategy to… do whatever we're going to do." He was careful not to give away their motive.

"And your friend there… he hasn't awoken yet, has he?" Kozue nodded towards the small tent where Sokka had took the unconscious figure in. Even in the faint darkness, he could see a muscle in Sokka's jaw jump.

"No…"

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's not your fault anyway." Sokka said, losing the contempt in his voice and sounding gentle for the first time he spoke to Kozue. "Anyway- what's that?" Sokka suddenly jumped up and pointed out into the sea.

"I don't see anything," Toph remarked with sarcasm in her voice. Katara rushed up next to Sokka.

"It looks like… ships." Katara said. "I think we should tell Dad."

"No need, we were expecting them anyway." A voice suddenly called out. Kozue looked around, and suddenly the people were taking down their tents, packing their bags up with very fast speed. Hakoda walked calmly over.

"We're abandoning Chameleon Bay." He said. "Those are Fire Nation Navy."

"We're just leaving here without doing anything? We should fight!" Sokka shouted, brandishing his boomerang.

"We are _not_ just leaving without doing anything." Hakoda remarked dryly.

"Then what are you doing?" Katara asked, worried.

Hakoda gave each of his children and the others a deep look. "The reason I did not tell you children before about this was because you would be out of danger." He said, "But I think it is appropriate to tell you now. We are planning to infiltrate just one of the Fire Nation boats and travel west with the fleet."

"We want to fight! Along Aang!" Hakoda let out a sigh at Toph's retort.

"Forgive me if I seem cold-hearted." Hakoda said, "But has Aang woken up, or showed signs of getting better?" A silence fell at this. "I thought not."

"Dad, we want to fight." Sokka said, quietly. "Aang is going to wake up too. He's the-" Sokka suddenly gave Kozue a sideward glance, and muttered something that he couldn't hear.

"Twenty of our men are staying behind, to be in hiding while the rest of us operate our mission. You children are to stay here with them." Hakoda said, with an edge of hardness creeping to his voice.

"Just let them go with you," Kozue said, quietly. "They want to be with you. And your friend, he's the Avatar, isn't he?"

Hakoda, Sokka, and Katara's face both turned ashen. "This Aang kid, he's the Avatar." Kozue repeated, louder this time. "I'm not stupid; I heard things among the people here, no matter how much they tried to be discreet about it. Don't worry, I'll keep my mouth shut." He added hastily as Sokka made a movement to rush at him angrily. "As long as you take me along with you. Because then that solves my problem of getting me to the Fire Nation, doesn't it?"

"That…" Sokka started, angrily. "…may be the most brilliant idea ever!" His face split into a grin and clapped Kozue on the shoulder. "_And_, I've been giving this a thought; we should secretly invade the Fire Nation on the Day of the Black Sun!"

Hakoda stared at Sokka, appalled at the new and better method to infiltrate the Fire Nation.

"So, what's your decision?" Toph asked, a confident smile on her face.

Hakoda sighed and looked up into the dark sky. "You will…." Hakoda took time in each staring into the children's eyes. "…go with us to the Fire Nation." He finished.

"Yes!" Sokka yelled with a triumphant smile, and jumped up with a fist in the air.

* * *

**Author's note:**

**Well, I must say that I actually enjoyed writing this chapter a lot. More so than usual, I mean. =/ **

**Yeah.... anyway, I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. **

**-London**


End file.
